March 28, 2024

By REBECCA SOARES

Not all establishments consider their relationships with students. Some stores don’t offer student discounts or the discount only saves the students a few dollars, but that isn’t the case with Conestoga College’s Bookstore.

“We keep in mind that students have a budget and we try to offer lots of different price points,” said Grace Sham, Bookstore communications specialist.

Conestoga students also have the option to purchase new textbooks for a fresh copy or used textbooks for a cheaper alternative. Besides books, the store offers a wide variety of products such as clothing, games, electronics and stationery.

“I’m not sure what percentage of our sales is not book-related; however, I think that percentage is still small relative to book sales,” Sham said.

While the Bookstore’s revenue and focus is predominantly book sales, that doesn’t mean it’s the sole priority.

“We run different promotions and sales (on non-book related items) throughout the year that students, staff and faculty can take advantage of,” Sham said. “Different promotions and events see different discounts on different products. However, I try to put clothing on sale more often as I know that is what seems to be popular with students and staff.”

For students interested in purchasing clothing representing their respective programs, the Bookstore offers default and custom options, though the custom options have conditions attached, according to Mary Bomber, an employee at the Bookstore.

“We have a large variety of products that we believe students on campus would enjoy. We even have a ‘Your program, your way’ clothing line, which is where students can get customized Conestoga wear for their specific program. They just need 12 or more people to place an order,” Bomber said.

The Bookstore is very student oriented and is constantly ensuring they are supplying what the students need throughout the year.

“We have worked hard to bring in a good mix of what students are typically asking for, which included conducting surveys last year to find out what students were looking for. We do consider what students ask for, but we need to make sure there is enough demand for new products before we can bring them in,” Sham said.

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